Inclinometer



June 18, 1935. E Q POTTERF v2,005,634

INCLINOMETER Filed Jan. 1'7, 1935 E l Paezf Patented June 18, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE The invention relates Claims.

to inclinometers and has for its principal object the vprovision of a mechanically operated mechanism for indicating the relative inclination of a surface to the hori- 5 zontal and thus dispensing with the usual spirit level structure and to provide means whereby the actual inclination of the surface will be immediately determined.

To this end the invention consists in the provision of a hand or hands used as pointers secured for rotation with a delicately journaled shaft that cooperates with a calibrated disk provided with graduations to indicate the inclination of the instrument tal, and provided with relatively to the horizonan adjustable means for regulating the accuracy of the pointers relatively to the dial and consisting of a counterweight mounted for rotation on the shaft and held thereto by means of a set screw or other suitable means permitting adjustment of the counterweight relatively to the pointers for the purpose stated.

'Ihe invention will be described in detail hereinafter and will be found illustrated in the accompanyng drawing, in which Figure l is a side view in elevation of the improved inclinometer,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side view on an enlarged scale shown partly broken away and in section,

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on a plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure l, and

Figure 4 is a horizo plane indicated by the ntal sectional view on a line 4-4 of Figure l.

In the drawing similar reference characters are used to designate corresponding parts in all the views.

The improved inclinometer includes a casing l0 having a straight edge II forming the bottom of the casing. In the opposite sides of the casing lil are openings i2 and ings I2 are dial plates mounted over said open- I3 provided with arcuate slots I4, and having the plate adjacent to said slots provided with calibrations I5 to indicate the degrees of a circle.

Circular frames il are mounted on the casing IIJ and secured to circular iianges IE projecting from the base of the the dial plates I3, said casing and surrounding frames Il holding transparent panels I8, said panels I8 being separated from the dial plates washers I9.

i3 by means of cushion 2G designates a shaft having tapered end portions 2l journaled in socket bearings 22 secured to` the ings or sockets in sai dial plates i3, the opend bearings numbered 22 being tapered pered end designated as tation on the as shown at 23 to receive the taportions 2I, this bearing being usually a jewel bearing. Mounted for roshaft 23 is a U-shaped member 24 that is held from rotation on the shaft by means of a U-shaped key member 25 that has its bight portion engaging in a groove 26 in the bight portion of the U -shaped member 2li, and having its extremities tapered to a knife edge as shown at 2l and eng shaft 2B.

Extending l shaped member aging in a Il-shaped slot 23 in the aterally from each side of the U- 24 is a pointer arm or hand 2S that has its extremities 3i! extended through one or the other of the arcuate slots I4 and arranged toi cooperate with the calibrations I5 on the respective dials The depend 24 are each b lated arms 3| ing ends of the U-shaped member ifurcated to provide angularly reand the extremities of said arms are provided with weights 32, and provide means whereby the ends of the pointer hands or arms 3i) will extend vertically at all times, and therefore indicate the inclination of the straight edge bottom portion I l,

In order to if any, to the horizontal. insure accuracy at all times of the operation of the device, a counterweight structure is provided that is adapted to be adjusted to obviate and counteract inaccuracies in the indieating device heretofore described. The counterweight structure is designated 33 and is preferably mounted as shown shaft 2t by means of a 3d, the counte in the drawing on the loop suspending device rweight 33 being mounted between the arms 3i and the weights 32, while the member 34 is mounted arms counterweight the counterwe 2B. 36 to enable s of the U-shaped key member 25. cates a set screw on the shaft 23 intermediate of the 35 indithreadedly mounted in the member 33 and designed to secure ight 33 for rotation with the shaft The bottom il is provided with an opening crewing and unscrewing of the set screw 35 when it is necessary to adjust the counterweight on the shaft 23 to correct inaccuracies in the operation of the device heretofore described.

What is claimed is:-

l. In an incl inometer, a casing having a straight edge member, a pointer member mounted for rotation in said casing, dial plates on opposite sides of said therein, point member and casing and having arcuate slots er arms mounted on said pointer having their extremities extended through said slots, weighted arms on said pointer member, a co unterweight mounted for rotation with said pointer member, and means to adjust said counterweight relatively to the pointer member to correct the positions of said pointer arms relatively to the dials.

2. An inclinometer, comprising a casing having a straight edge member, a shaft journaled in said casing, a U-shaped member keyed to said shaft and having weighted arms, a pointer secured to said U-shaped member, a dial cooperating with said pointer and calibrated to indicate degrees of inclination to the horizontal, a counterweight mounted on said shaft, and means to adjustably secure said counterweight relatively to the shaft to correct the operation of the pointer relatively to the calibrations on the dial.

3. An inclinometer, comprising a casing having a straight edge member, a shaft journaled in said casing, a U-shaped member having a pointer mounted on said shaft, a U-shaped key secured to said member, the shaft provided with a keyway to receive said key, a dial in said casing cooperating with said pointer, weighted arms depending from said U-shaped member, a counterweight adjustably mounted on said shaft between the arms of said U-shaped key, and means to fix said counterweight relatively to the shaft to correct the operation of the pointer relatively to the dial calibrations.

4. In an inclinometer, a casing having an opening therethrough, dials mounted in said opening in spaced relation and provided with arcuate slots, a shaft, means journaling the shaft between said dials, a pointer member secured for rotation with said shaft and having arms extending through said slots for reading with the dials, depending angularly related and Weighted arms on said pointer member, and an adjustable counterweight mounted for rotation with the shaft to correct the position of the member relatively to the dials.

5. In an inclinometer, a casing having an opening therethrough, dials mounted in said opening in spaced relation and provided with arcuate slots, a shaft having a keyway, means journaling the shaft between said dials, a U-shaped pointer member provided with a groove in its bight portion, a U-shaped key engaging in said keyway and groove, pointer arms extending from said pointer member and extending through said arcuate slots, depending angularly related and Weighted arms on said pointer member, an adjustable counterweight rotatably mounted on the shaft, and a set screw mounted in said counterweight to position it in adjusting the positions of the pointer arms relatively to the dials.

EDWARD C. POTTERF, 

